Automatic and instantaneous apparatus for producing photographs.



No. 696,656. Patented Apr. I902.

F. HE P. BOMANI.

AUTOMATIC AND INSTANTANEOUS APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING PHOTOGRAPHS.

(Application filed Feb. 5, 1900. (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Shani l HQ-lWbzeavea 522202501" $22 .4 pM flmam m: Ncmms Pawns cu. PNOTQ-LIYNQ.WASMINGYCN, n. c.

No. 696,656. Patented Apr. I, I902.

F. DE P. ROMANI. AUTOMATIC AND INSTANTANEOUS APPARATUS FOR PRODUCINGPHOTOGRAPHS.

(Application filed Feb. 5, 1900.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

ad A mz annals Farms co. 9mm

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANCOIS DE PAULA ROMANI, OF LYONS, FRANCE.

AUTOMATIC AND TNSTANTANEOUS APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING PHOTOGRAPHS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 696,656, dated April 1,1902.

Application filed February 5, 1900. Serial No. 4,019. (No model.)

To all whom/ it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANgoTs DE PAULA ROMANI, chemist, a subject of theKing of Spain, residing at Lyons, in the Republic of France, (whosepost-oflice address is 81 Rue de ll-Iotel de Ville, Lyons,) haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic andinstantaneous Apparatus for Producing Photographs, (patentedin France,No. 290,552,dated July '7, 1899, and in Luxemburg, No. 3,816, datedDecember 11, 1899, and applications deposited as follows: in EnglandDecember 14-, 1899; in Belgium December 9, 1899; in Spain December 22,1899; in Italy December 20, 1899; in Switzerland December 15, 1899; inPortugal December lat, 1899; in Tunisia December 14, 1899; in RussiaDecember 4/16, 1899; in Sweden December 18, 1899; inlTorwayDecember18,1899; in Denmark December 16, 1899; in Germany January1, 1900; in Austria January 13, 1900, and in Hungary January 18, 1900,)of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object an automatic and instantaneousapparatus for the production on metallic plates of permanent photographsof any persons, children, or the like fixed and framed in less than aminute.

The invention will be described with referenoe to the accompanying;drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus, theouter inclosing case being omitted to expose the mechanism to view; Fig.a vertical cross-section through the axis of the apparatus seen from therear; Fig. 3, a plan; Fig. 4, a detail in section on the line V X ofFig. 3; Fig. 5, an end elevation of the movement for actuating the cleanwater valves; Fig. 6, a front elevation, and Fig. 7 a plan, of themovement of the basket in its lower position; Fig. 8, a front elevation,and Fig. 9 a plan, of the movement of the basket in its upper position;Fig. 10, a side view of the basket when returned to allow the framecarrying the finished photographic plate to be discharged; Fig. 11, avertical projection of the spring with its upper knob or catch servingto cause the frame to be discharged with certainty. Fig. 12 is a plan,and Fig. 13 an elevation, of a metallic frame for holding the two partsof the sensitive plate. Fig. 14

is a section, on an enlarged scale, of the rectangular tube for holdingthe plates.

Similar letters of reference indicate the same parts in the differentfigures.

The apparatus about to be described isinclosed in the usual light-tightbox or easing, which for the purpose of illustrating the inclosedmechanism is omitted from the drawruns.

The operator having filled his developing baths 1, fixing-baths 2, andwashing-baths 3, arranges a rectangular tube 4 in a casing 51, (withoutadmitting any light.) The said rectangular tube is about twenty-fivecentimeters in,height, closed at the upper end by a cap 1, and containsframes 49, with sensitive plates, the said tube resting at the bottom bymeans of two feet 1 in the casing 51 and having grooves or notches 1 onone side to allow of the passage of the pusher 5 and on the other sidefor the passage of a frame i. The operator then by means of a spindle 6,the square end of which projects outside the box and receives a key orcrank, (not shown,) winds up a strong clockwork-movement, with aspring-barrel '7, the wheel of which sets in motion various pinions andtoothed Wheels, one of which, 8, has a notched rim. On the axis of thesmallest pinion a fly 9 is fixed.

The movement of the different parts is imparted by the wheel 10 to apinion 11, on the spindle of which is mounted a bevel-gear 12, operatingby means of a bevel-gear 18, a ver tical spindle 14, carrying thesupport 15 for the movement of the basket 25, and the cam 42 for openingthe clean-water pipe.

In explaining the working I will indicate all the parts.

The operator poses his subject at a suitable distance before a screenand opposite the ob jective 16. He then presses the button 17, thespindle of which has a plate 18 covering the sensitive plates in alittle dark chamber 19, opposite the objective and having at its frontan aperture of the dimension of the objective and in line with the same.On pressing the button the aperture of the plate or shutter is placed infront of the objective and the sensitive plate exposed. Then he lets gothe button or knob, and the plate, under the impulse of a spring 20,which bears at its up per end against a projection 20 on the plate,

resumes its position, covering the photograph. He then presses a knob21, also placed out side the box, and holds it for an instan t. Thisknob 21 is fixed on a bent rod 22, which is thus pushed against a stud23 to operate asliding plate 23 against the pressure of a spring 24, theedge of which sliding plate holds erect-the frame carrying the exposedplate. On the sliding plate being thus forced back the frame drops intothe basket 25. At the same time as this bent rod causes the slidingplate to uncover it presses also with an inclined part or cam 26 on anelbow-lever 27, the point of which is engaged in a notch 27, formed inthe rim of the wheel 8 of the clockwork-train, and causes the end of thelever to rise and release the wheel 8. This movement also causes afinger 28, which is carried by the lever 27 and which engages a wing ofthe fly 9, to rise and release the fly, and the apparatus is started inmovement, the point of the lever slipping on the rim. Upon releasing theknob 21 the rod 22 under the impulse of a spring 29 returns to itsnormal position. The basket 25, which was raised, is held by anelbow-lever 30, one end of which engages a roller 31 and one arm ofwhich bears on a cam 32, which carries the basket, and upon the leverquitting the roller 31 the basket drops into the developing-bath 1,where it is held in a low position by a stud 33, fixed on the cam andengaging under the supporting-arm 15, forming the pivot of the movement,and which is keyed on the vertical shaft 14. It remains an instant inthe low position, turning in this bath. When the lower arm of the lever30 encounters a second roller 34, the other arm bears on the cam andcauses the basket to rise in order to pass from the developing-bath 1into the fixing-bath 2. The same movements are performed for the passageof the basket from the fixing-bath 2 into the washing-bath 3 and itsexit from the latter. As the basket emerges from the bath 3 it is heldin its elevated position and passes along the outside of a guide-track35, which track extends upward and gradually outward, as shown in Figs.1 and 2, its highest point being about the level of the upper edge ofthe basket. As the basket is carried along at the outside of the trackthe latter acts to turn or push the lower end of the basket outward, andby the time it arrives at the elevated part of the track it has beenturned completely over, as shown in Fig. 10. In this position thecontents are discharged and slide down a chute 36. The lever of thebasket coutinues to descend,and the basket escapes from the track,assuming the lowest position. As it receives an oscillating movementthrough its fall, a stop 37 is provided, which stops the said movement.The basket then rises, the lower arm of the lever being pushed, and theother arm of the lever bearing on the cam places itself under thechamber 19, where it is stopped, because the wheel 8, which has astop-notch 27, has made one revolution, so

that the point of the elbow-lever 27 engages in the notch, and thefinger '28 bears against a wing of the i1 y, thus arrestingtheclockworkmovement.

The vertical shaft 14 carries at its upper end a crank 38, connected bya link 39 with a pusher sliding in the support of the tube 4, the wristof the crank beingat the opposite side of the disk when the stop takesplace. When movement is started, the crank turns and moves the link 39with it, which with its slide or pusher forces out a frame bearing asensitive plate, and when the pusher is at the end of its course theplate tilts and falls between two grooves in the chamber 19, ready to beexposed. In case this frame by reason of notches or splinters on itsedges or for any. other reason should remain sticking in the opening ofthe dark chamber and should not tilt or fall a small spring 40 isarranged, having a stud 41, (see Figs. 4 and 11,) beveled at one side iand notched at the other, which spring is pushed into the path of thepusher,- but emerges again immediately, when the pusher is returned, andwhich engages between the wall of the tube and the frame, thus liftingthe latter. On the bottom of the vertical shaft 14 is fixed a cam 42,-the projection of which lies in the direction of the basket on thestoppage of the movement. When the apparatus is in movement and thebasket immersed in the clean water, the cam 42 on spindle 14 encountersan arm 43, car- ,ried by a horizontal rock-shaft 44, on which is a bentarm 45,.as shown in Fig. 5. In the tilting movement produced by the cambear-. ing against the arm of said rock-shaft the bent arm 45 lifts alever 46, attached to a hopper 47, having on its interior a cross-piece47 Fig. 1, engaging under a rod 47 of a valve 47 of the discharge-pipe47 of the water-reservoir 48. When the valve is thus opened, water flowsthrough the beak of the hopper or funnel into bath 3 and continues solong as the cam 42 touches the arm 43, and the overflow escapes by anoverflow-pipe 49, Fig. 1, provided' at the bottom with a discharge-hole.The cam 42 having'passed over the arm, the weight of the lever 46 andofthe hopper causes the shaft to resume its first position, and thevalve is closed. All these operations from the exposure up to theplacing in the frame only last thirty seconds.

I declare that what I claim is- 1. A system of automatic andinstantaneousapparatus for producing completely-finished photographshaving in combination a clockwork-movement with a fly-regulator foractuating the apparatus said apparatus comprising a wheel having astop-notch on the rim, an elbow-lever 27 adapted to drop with its pointin said notch at the end of each revolution of the said wheel andcarrying a finger which thereupon engages a wing of the fly and thusarrests the movement, a rod 22 adapted to be operated from the exteriorand having an inclined piece adapted to bear on the bottom of anelbow-lever and lift it in order to release the win g of the fly torestart the movement, a vertical shaft operated by theclockwork-movement, and having at the top a crank with a link forpushing a sensitive plate in a dark chamber, and a hinged basket forreceiving the exposed plate, substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

2. In an automatic apparatus forproducing finished photographs, thecombination of a rectangular tube 4 adapted to contain a large number ofthin-metal frames bent over at the edges for retaining the sensitiveplates, a recessed casing to receive said tube and provided with asupport in which slides a pusher, a rod connected with a crank carriedby the operating-spindle said rod adapted to move said pusher beneaththe tube and cause a frame to fall in the dark chamber 19 toward theobjective, and a spring placed between the tube and the frame at itsexit to prevent any sticking of the latter, substantially as described.

3. In an automatic apparatus for producing finished photographs thecombination of a basket 25, a dark chamber 19, a slide adapted tosupport plates in said chamber, an elbowrod 22 adapted to encounter theslide and discharge a plate into the basket, a series of baths separatedby partitions, means for raising the basket over the partitions, saidmeans comprising a cam-arm carrying the basket, a spindle on which it ismounted, an elbow-lever having its upper arm bearing on the cam arm,rolls adapted to be encountered by the lower arm of the lever, and astud on said camarm for arresting the basket in its lower position.

4. In'an automatic apparatus for producing photographs the combinationwith a pivoted basket, of means for moving it in a predetermined path, afixed guide-track 35 extending outward of the path of the basket adaptedto be encountered by the basket and serving to tilt the same on its axisand discharge its contents.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name, this 24th day ofJanuary, 1900, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANQOIS DE PAULA ROMANI.

Vitnesses:

Gnonens FREYDIER DUBREUL, JEAN GERMAIN.

